Book Review - The Queen's Lady

A Historical Fiction set in Renaissance England by Barbara Kyle

Sep 19, 2008

"The Queen's Lady", by Barbara Kyle, is a riveting historical fiction about a headstrong woman named Honor Larke living in the era of King Henry VIII.

While the story of King Henry VIII may have been told time and time again, the author Kyle manages to access a fresh look into the world of early renaissance England. Her characters, especially but not limited to Honor, are not only intriguing and vibrantly different, but they all have an irresistible urge to the change the world. And in this tumultuous environment in which they are set, it seems they very well may get their wish.

Honor begins the story as a young captured girl forced into marriage, and believe it or not, it only gets worse from there. And yet she remains kind, curious, and seeks the truth for herself instead of accepting what people tell her. She becomes an avid correspondent with great thinkers of the day, a ward of Sir Thomas More, and she sees the Protestant revolution and clashing of religions with fresh eyes and a desire to help the people involved.

The plot is quick and seamless, and it propels you through several years of history before you even realized you are in fact reading about the same events written into history books. Kyle's writing style is open and easy towards the reader, and it is easy to invest yourself into her main characters.

The best parts about this book are the minor characters. Kyle does such a good job creating distinct and imaginable characters with just a few words, without distracting from her story. Even her minor characters who are in fact large characters in the web of history, such as Sir Thomas More and Oliver Cromwell, are complicated, subtle, and believably real people.

A very clear thematic element of this book pertains to the choice between your greatest loves and your greatest hates. Constantly we are approached with situations, such as when Honor must choose between destroying the man who ruined her childhood or remaining with the man she loves. Kyle’s choice of theme seems to accurately reflect the human conflicts present within the court life of England, and Henry VIII’s choices between many marriages and no sons.

If you are interested in reading a historical fiction for the first time, or even if you’ve read them all, there are many surprises, twists, and intriguing situations to recommend this book.

The author began as an actress on Canadian television before she turned to writing fiction, and she now teachings writing seminars and workshops as well. Other works include The King’s Daughter (due out March 2009), the sequel to The Queen’s Lady.

The copyright of the article Book Review - The Queen's Lady in Canadian Fiction is owned by Valerie Suydam. Permission to republish Book Review - The Queen's Lady in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.